Should Russian President Putin Get What He Wants In Ukraine?

It's Time To Back Away From The Russian Wolf -- Tony Brenton, The Telegraph

Russia's President Vladimir Putin won't be thwarted by Nato or economic sanctions and his aim of a neutral Ukraine is acceptable.

There is a Russian proverb: "If you can't face the wolf, don't go into the forest." The West has blundered into the Ukrainian forest and enraged the Russian wolf, only to discover that we cannot face him. We should now be looking for the path out.



Western policy has been built on two false premises. The first is that we must stop a revanchist Russia. As this narrative runs: yesterday Russia took Crimea; today Eastern Ukraine; tomorrow – who knows – Estonia, Poland? This precisely mirrors the Russian nightmare of predatory Nato expansion; yesterday Poland and Estonia, today Georgia, tomorrow – who knows – parts of Russia itself? The mutual suspicions of 1914 spring worryingly to mind.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ VERDANT STORIES SECTION
TITLE>>>>>>FORBIDDEN
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY


.... chill ran through his spine. He ran back into the hostel in fright. He was afraid of ghosts. He had heard frightening stories about ghosts. As he umped on his bed, his heart was pounding. He had gone out on many mornings with Tanko and had never felt this frightened. Maybe it was because they had been two but here, being alone, fear had seized him. He would have to deal with those boys, particularly Tanko. He would report to the master and he would laugh when the master whipped them. Lie tried to visualize the Whiteman whipping the boys and how they would cry. That would serve them right, he thought. Then he thought, what if Tanko confessed that he too was involved? That he had on many occasions gone to pluck oranges there? He panicked at the thought. He too would be in for it.

The master may not have mercy on him. lie knew the white man better than that. Then he thought of what people back in Dogongari would say ifthey learnt that he had out of jealous), put sonic of Dogongari boys in trouble. He could imagine the condemnation that would trial that. He would be called all sorts of names. Meanwhile, the three boys had reached the orange tree. Sule was placed to watch over the path that led to the master's residence from the cathedral while Garba and Tanko went to the tree to pluck. It .... TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...JOIN US TOMORROW FOR MORE ON THIS FUNNY AND EXCITING STORY }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}